FGCU anthropology team assists Charlotte County cold case investigation

Crews continue to look for remains of a Charlotte County woman whose 24-year-old case was reopened after a tip was passed on to local authorities. Weather has been a nuisance for investigators. They believe the person who killed Christine Flahive of Punta Gorda is still in Southwest Florida, and they want to bring closure to her family.

Investigators called upon Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney an FGCU anthropology professor, and her team to assist the search for Flahive in Charlotte County Thursday.

“We’re searching areas that the dogs have alerted us to and areas that we haven’t gotten into yet with the dogs due to the terrain,” said Walsh-Haney, a forensic anthropologist. “My job here and that of the graduate students who are here with me as part of my team is to help differ human from non-human remains and look at the changes in the soil and vegetation to see if it’s consistent with a 25-year-old crime scene.”

Walsh-Haney and her team will continue to work in the field Friday morning in effort to support the Flahive investigation. She considers the opportunity law enforcement granted her and her team a great privilege.

“To be able to be here and use my skills to help law enforcement and in turn help the family is a blessing for me,” Walsh-Haney said.

Investigators feel equally lucky to have Walsh-Haney’s assistance along with her team of students, which investigators said will help speed up the search for Flahive’s remains.

“We believe that [Christin Flahive] was murdered, and we have reason to believe that there is a potential her remains may be in this area,” said Kurt Mehl with Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office cold case division.